As storms continue to bring rain and snow to California, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to allow local water agencies and other water users to capture water from the last round of storms to recharge and store groundwater in California.
The order suspends regulations and restrictions on permits and use to allow water agencies and users to divert floodwater to encourage groundwater recharge.
The order includes the protection of wildlife and habitat, ensuring that any diversion does not harm them or remove environmental needs.
“California is experiencing extreme rainfall and snowfall, so we are making it simple to redirect water to recharge groundwater basins. This order helps us take advantage of expected intense storms and increases state support for local stormwater capture efforts,” Newsom said.
This executive order follows one issued in February to protect the state's water supplies from the impacts of weather extremes, which 'allowed the State Water Project to conserve 237,000 acre-feet of water.
It also allowed the US Office of Reclamation to divert more than 600,000 acre-feet of floodwater for wildlife refuges, underground storage, and recharge.
California has beefed up supply and storage, including a combined 1.1 million acre-feet of water, enough for the annual use of 2.2 million homes.
The State Water Board has authorized nearly 790,000 acre-feet in diversions for groundwater recharge and other purposes as of the end of December 2022.
On the other hand, the Department of Water Resources ?DWR, for its acronym in English? has awarded $68 million to 42 groundwater recharge projects providing nearly 117,000 acre-feet of potential recharge capacity. Ongoing applications include 52 groundwater recharge projects worth $211 million.
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